MTLNOVEL Chapter 1100: Went in two, came out, one
After roaming around together for close to 500 years, the journey between Bai Chen and the Bluefin spine-tailed swift came to an end when they ventured into an ancient ruin, which ended up being their last adventure together, with the ruin serving as the dying grounds of the swift.
It was unknown what transpired inside the ruin as the entire ruin was rumored to have been hidden by a saint-grade artifact that isolated the ruin. It's unknown if there was truly a saint-grade artifact in there, but Yang Qing was inclined to believe there was since not even the Order's report could cite what happened in there.
Bai Chen's story had been dug out through old-fashioned investigation, with a flying shadow hawk member retracing his steps, but also through tracing his karma for confirmation and extracting details that would otherwise be difficult to uncover through conventional on-the-ground investigation.
Yang Qing wasn't sure if Veiled Destiny was the one used in extracting Bai Chen's details, or if it was some other treasure/ artifact or some cultivator proficient with the Dao of Karma, but regardless of who or what it was, to be able to trace the karmic lines of a cultivator, the person or object in question had to be either at the peak of the domain realm/ ascendant grade, or they should have already reached the soul formation realm/saint grade.
Karma was one of the most elusive and esoteric Daos to master, with no definitive method to teach it. Most practitioners who could wield it had a natural predisposition for it, much like treasures baptized with the essence of the karmic Dao, such as Veiled Destiny. However, even for those with a natural aptitude or mastery over it, tracing someone's karmic lines was no simple feat.
The process of extracting someone's karma, particularly their future, was fraught with dangers. While uncovering the past or present was generally more feasible, it came with fewer consequences only if the gap in cultivation realms between the one extracting and the target was significant. If the two were closer in strength or if the target had reached a certain cultivation realm, even tracing their past or present karma became daunting, if not impossible.
From what Yang Qing knew, once a cultivator reached the domain realm, their karmic lines became untraceable. This protective effect didn't just apply to them but extended to those within a certain proximity. For cultivators with family, the shielding effect encompassed close blood relatives—parents, siblings, and children. If the cultivator was stronger, say in the late stages of the domain realm or higher, such as the soul formation realm, the shielding effect expanded further. It could extend to distant relatives as long as they shared the same bloodline, effectively nullifying any karmic investigation tied to them.
Yang Qing had a feeling that Veiled Destiny could probably trace the karma of early to middle-stage domain experts. As for those at the late stages, he couldn't be certain—maybe it could. Despite the vast gap in their abilities, a deep part of him sensed that Veiled Destiny was special, much like his feeling about Green Cocoon or Blue Universe.
Those three saint-grade treasures felt different. He couldn't explain why, but he knew they were. His intuition told him as much, and the more powerful a cultivator became, the more they learned to trust those instincts, even when they couldn't fully grasp the reasons behind them.
Yet, despite his feelings about Veiled Destiny, even Yang Qing knew that no matter how special it was, it would be next to impossible for it to extract the karma of a soul formation expert or a spirited treasure or artifact of similar rank. This was why he believed the ancient ruin Bai Chen and the Bluefin spine-tailed swift had visited was likely powered by some saint-grade treasure. It would explain why the Order couldn't uncover what happened inside.
What they did manage to uncover was that Bai Chen and the Bluefin spine-tailed swift had been in that ancient ruin for 16 years. Bai Chen entered as a peak-stage core formation expert, but when he emerged, he was already a second-stage palace realm expert. The swift, however, was not with him when he left, and since that moment, they had never been seen together again. Most believed something had happened to the swift within that ancient ruin.
Yang Qing's gaze drifted toward Bai Chen's soul lantern, resting on the table beside the slip. His attention settled on the polished white bone serving as the wick and the blue feather wrapped around it, faintly pulsing with the subtle energy of a palace realm expert.
In the end, he couldn't suppress a sigh as he brought the lantern closer.
"It seems like he's lost everyone…" Yang Qing murmured softly, almost absentmindedly. A flicker of sympathy and pity crossed his eyes as the blue feather's gentle glow reflected within them.
People more often than not, kept objects that reminded them of their regret or loss, close to them, while others did the complete opposite.
Yang Qing was the same and had done so with Ma Yuan and now looking at the soul lantern, he couldn't help but wonder if Bai Chen had done the same. Refining the soul lantern with the bones and feathers of his guardian as a reminder of what he lost, or as some sort of comfort that she was close by, looking after him still, as she always did.
Yang Qing stared somberly at the soul lantern for a short while, almost as if he was waiting for the bone and feather to instantly transform into the swift and speak up. But it didn't. Only a somber silence answered him.
Letting out another sigh, Yang Qing gently returned the soul lantern to its position, as he brought his attention back to the last contents of Bai Chen's slip.
After he left the ancient ruin, alone, the first stop he made was at the Gold Earth Bank, that was the first time he ever made contact with them.
Throughout his life with the Bluefin spine-tailed swift, not once was it recorded that he ever had a dealing with them, despite the history they had which made Yang Qing wonder if he knew of his father's relationship with them or did it die with him.